Automatic elevator-gate



(No Model.) 4 I G. AOKBRMA-NN, Automatic Elevator Gate.

No. 236,137. Patented Jan. 4, 1881;,

1 jl qyanior ##6## dag 262 PATENT Fries.

GEORGE AOKERMANN, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC ELEVATOR-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 236,137, dated January4, 1881.

Application filed August 2, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cincinnati, in thecounty of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Automatic Elevator- Gates, of which the followingis a specification;

My invention relates to that class of self opening and closingelevator-gates which move up and down in vertical grooves in front ofthe hatchway and are operated by the upward-and-downward motion of thecage or platform of the elevator; and it has for its 01)- I 5 ject theconstruction and arrangement of the mechanism which transmits the motionfrom the elevator-platform to the vertically-guided gate in such amanner as to insure greater certainty in the operation of the device,and with less probability of accidental derangement while in use.

-My invention consists in securing upon one side of theelevator-platform to the post a toothed rack, which engages'at certaintimes, to be hereinafter explained, with a spur-wheel of peculiarconstruction, revolving upon a stud securely attached to substantialframe-work,

placed upon the floor, through which the elevator passes. The spur-wheelis provided with a wrist or crank pin, which carries one end of anordinary pitman, the other end of the pitman being pivoted to the end ofa reciprocating rack, which in turn gives motion to the pinion, sheave,and ropes for lifting the gate.

1n the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of anelevator containing my invention, and Fig. 2 is a detached view of theprincipal elements of my device.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts. 7

A is the platform or cage of an elevator, with the customary uprightposts B B, crossbeam B, and lifting-rope B, operated. by any convenientform of hoisting engiue or lifting-gear. O is the gate, which slides invertical grooves or ways, the position of which is indicated by thedotted vertical lines.

E E are the winding-spools, around which the ropes D D, which lift thegate 0, are coiled.

F- is the grooved sheave, carrying the rope (No model.)

G, the upper end of the rope being coiled on the end of one of thespools E, and the other end,G, being passed over the guide-pulley g andattached to the weight g. The weight 9 acts so as to counterpoise thegate 0 in the manner shown in the drawings.

To the end of the shaft upon which the sheave F is mounted is keyed aspur-piniomf, which engages with the reciprocating rack H, traveling inhorizontal ways or guides I.

J is a-spur-wheel revolving upon an ordinary stud, and provided with awrist or crank pin, 7.

'K is a short pitman, and L a toothed. rack, firmly secured to the postB of the platform A.

The distinguishing feature of the spur-wheel J is that it contains onetooth which is made longer or deeper, measured on a radial line, thanthe remaining teeth of the wheel. This tooth is placed on the peripheryof the spurwheel diametrically opposite the wrist-pinj.

The travel of the rack H inward or toward the platform A elevates thegate 0 through the pinion f, sheave F, rope G, spools E E, and ropes DD, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and the travel of therack H outward or away from the platform A permits the gate 0 to descendby reason of its own gravity, or so much of its own gravity as is notcounterbalanced by the weight g acting through the rope G G.

The normal position of the gate being when it is down or closed, and therack L, spur-wheel J, pitman K, and reciprocating rack H in the positionshown in Fig. 2, it will be observed that the long tooth of thespur-wheel is in position to receive the first impact of the rack L asit approaches the spur-wheel, either from below, as shown in Fig. 2, oras it approaches it from above.

The revolution of the spur-wheel J is accompanied by a correspondingrevolution of the wrist or crank pinj, and produces a double travel ofthe rack H across the face of the pinion f, thereby rotating the sheaveF, first in the direction necessary to elevate the gate 0, and then inan opposite direction to permit the gate to return to the floor andclose the entrance to the hatchway.

The travel of the first half of the rack L across the face of thespur-wheel J elevates the gate 0, and the travel of the last half of therack across the spur-wheel permits the descent of the gate. The actionof the device is precisely the same whether the spur-Wheel be rotatedfrom left to right by the downward motion of the rack L or from right toleft by its upward motion.

Although I prefer to use the spur-wheel J, as shown, with one of theteeth longer than the others, as this I deem the preferable form, yet Ido not wish to be limited to this precise construction, as the ordinaryform of spur-Wheel may be used; or the rack L and spur-wheel J may bothbe discarded and a friction Wheel and friction-rail be substituted, theessential requisite being that the length of the rack or rail shall beabout equal to the circumference of the spur-wheel or friction-pulley,and that for each complete travel of the rail or rack across thespurwheel or frietion-pulley there shall be a corresponding revolutionof the spurwheel or friction-wheel and of the wrist or crank pin j.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination, withthe elevator-carriage and the vertical rack-bar attached to one of theupright standards, of a pinion, J, a rack-bar, H, arranged horizontallyin suitable guides, and having one end connected with the pinion J by apitman, K, a pinion, en-

gaging the horizontal rack, and mechanism connecting the pinionfand theelevator-gate and actuated by the reciprocal movements of the horizontalrack-bar for raising and lowering said gate, all substantially asdescribed.

2. In automatic opening and closingsafetygates for elevators, a devicefor transmitting motion from the ascending or descending platform to thevertically-sliding gate 0, consisting, essentially, of a straight rackand atoothed gear, said gear being provided with a wrist or crank pinand a pitman connected to and opcrating a reciprocating rack, H,apinion, f, a sheave, F, and ropes G and D, the rack and toothed gear soarranged with relation to each other and tot-he remainder of the devicethat the passage of the first half of the rack across the face of thegear shall elevate the gate 0, and the passage of the last half of therack across the face of the gear shall depress the gate to its originalposition, Whether approached from above or below by the platform A,substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony \vhereofI have signed my name to the foregoingspecification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE AUKERMANN.

Witnesses:

0. W. WITHENBURY, AMBROSE TEMPLE.

